Assembly Leadership: ‘Contestants Bribing Party Leaders to Thwart Zoning’

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr. Salihu  Lukman has alleged that there are speculations that some contestants for leadership positions of the 10th Assembly are bribing party leaders with huge amounts of money to stop the party from zoning positions.

Lukman, in a statement issued yesterday  said there were also the disturbing reports from House of Representatives members-elect that one aspirant for the position of Speaker from North-east apart from bribing members-elect with huge amounts of money, was also offering jeeps to members-elect if they would commit to electing him as the Speaker.

He said this has reduced the contest for the leadership of 10th National Assembly to Cash-and-Carry.

He lamented that the unfolding developments around the contest for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly was quite worrisome.

The party chieftain noted that apart from the clear disregard for national unity and outright disrespect for Nigerians, especially the persons of Asiwaju Bola  Tinubu and Sen. Kashim Shettima, being the president-elect and vice-president-elect respectively, some of the aspiring candidates for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives are neither concerned about the security and well-being of Nigeria nor are they in any way disturbed about factors that could erode the electoral viability of APC.

Lukman stressed that these are aspiring candidates for these positions –two of them Muslims from North-west aspiring for the position of Senate President and one of them from North-east aspiring for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, who are desperately mobilising support in unethical manner without any regard or respect to the party and its leadership.

He stated: “Certainly, these aspirants know that there is a very high probability that once the party is allowed to finalise the processes of zoning positions of leadership, the probability is high that these positions would be zoned to other sections of the country outside theirs.

“In order to force their way and weaken the party, they are proceeding with mobilising support for their aspirations in a very unethical manner. Some of them, including another aspirant for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives from the North-West have sent bags of rice and sugar to members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC).

“There are speculations that some of them are bribing party leaders with huge amounts of money to stop the party from zoning positions. There are also the disturbing reports from House of Representatives members-elect that one aspirant for the position of Speaker from North-East apart from bribing members-elect with huge amounts of money is also offering jeeps to members-elect if they will commit to electing him as the Speaker.”

The APC national vice chairman said to say the least, this was both disappointing and worrisome.

He said how could APC elected representatives descend so low as to be using unethical methods of cash-and-carry to mobilise support for their aspirations.

Lukman pointed out that the two Senators-elect who are being alleged to be involved in such unethical methods are both Muslims from the North-west.

He said  conscious that APC had already produced two Muslims as president-elect and vice president-elect, it should be very clear that any person whose aspiration for the position of Senate president being the number three highest ranking position in federal government, who is a Muslim would not mean well for Nigeria and would be working to undermine the electoral viability of APC as a political party.

According to him, any Muslim aspiring for the position of Senate President has no respect for both the constitutions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the APC.

Lukman said this was because Chapter II, Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution clearly outlined that ‘‘the composition of the government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.”

He was of the opinion that with two Muslims already elected to be sworn in as president and vice president of the Federal Republic on May 29, any attempt to consider another Muslim as Senate president would promote the dominance of Muslims in the federal government, saying it would be injurious to national unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria as a sovereign entity, which must not be allowed.

The party chieftain further said that the APC constitution enjoined party leaders and members to render service at all levels of governance, and to build a nation which would guarantee equal opportunity for all, mutual and peaceful co-existence, respect and understanding, eliminating all forms of discrimination and social injustice among Nigerians.

He emphasised that how could anyone aspiring for a position of leadership at all levels seeking to bribe his/her way be said to be interested in rendering service.

He added that such a person would only be interested in rendering service to himself and himself alone.

He said besides, given that both the two persons allegedly involved in this cash-and-carry approach to mobilising support for their emergence as Senate President are Muslims, it would be gross insensitivity to the peaceful co-existence of the country and disrespectful to Nigerians to allow them to continue to aspire for the position of Senate president.

Lukman noted that once aspirants win leadership positions through cash-and-carry methods, their loyalty to the government led by Tinubu and the APC would be weak.

He warned that such a person could even hold the government hostage in pursuance of their personal ambitions.

Lukman said: “With all these worrisome developments, the passive and almost unresponsive calmness of members of the APC NWC led by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu is giving credence to the speculation that some of these cash-and-carry aspirants for leadership position in the 10th National Assembly may have bribe the NWC not to initiate actions to zone positions in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

“Otherwise, why is the NWC unable to convene meetings of organs of the party to invoke Article 13.4(vi) of the APC constitution, which directs the NWC to “propose electoral guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to party offices at all levels, and procedure for selecting Party candidates for elective offices?”

Lukman said it was very disturbing and highly unacceptable that something as sensitive as electoral guidelines and regulations for electing leaders of the 10th National Assembly would be left to public speculation.

He said the ruling  cannot allow the contest for leadership of the 10th National Assembly to continue unregulated, saying everything must be done to mobilise all committed party leaders and members to call all APC elected representatives aspiring for positions in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly to order.

Accordingly, Lukman said  APC should take every step to sanction all those mobilising support for their so-called aspirations based on cash-and-carry method.

He appealed to both President Muhammadu Buhari and  Tinubu to promptly urge the National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and the  National Working Committee (NWC) to immediately restore constitutional order within the APC.

Lukman said APC governors and all  party leaders must also be reminded about their abiding commitment to the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria, which was responsible for their support for the emergence of Tinubu as the candidate of the party for the 2023 elections.